Definition

1. Verb:
   • To break (by bending or snapping): To cause something long, thin, or flexible to separate into pieces by applying force, typically with the hands.
   • To fold or bend: To change the direction or position of something flexible, like fabric or paper, without necessarily breaking it.
   • To pick or pluck: To remove something, typically flowers, fruits, or leaves, from a plant by hand.
   • To refute or object to: To argue against a point, opinion, or statement; to counter an argument.

Usage Examples

• To break:
  • Cậu bé vô tình bẻ gãy bút chì. (The boy accidentally broke the pencil.)
• To fold:
  • Trời lạnh, cô ấy bẻ cổ áo lên. (It was cold, so she folded the collar up.)
• To pick:
  • Chúng tôi bẻ hoa trong vườn. (We picked flowers in the garden.)
• To refute:
  • Anh ấy luôn tìm cách bẻ lại mọi ý kiến của tôi. (He always tries to refute every one of my opinions.)

Advanced Usage

• "bẻ khoá": to pick a lock; to break open a lock.
  • Kẻ trộm đã bẻ khoá để vào nhà. (The thief picked the lock to enter the house.)
• "bẻ lái": to turn the steering wheel (of a vehicle or bicycle).
  • Tài xế phải bẻ lái gấp để tránh chó. (The driver had to turn the wheel sharply to avoid the dog.)
• "bẻ hành bẻ tỏi" (idiomatic): to nitpick; to raise petty, trivial objections.
  • Đừng bẻ hành bẻ tỏi từng chi tiết nhỏ như vậy. (Don't nitpick every small detail like that.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bẻ gãy (v): to break something (emphasizing the snapping result).
  • Sóng lớn có thể bẻ gãy cột buồm. (Big waves can break the mast.)
• Bẻ cong (v): to bend something out of its straight shape.
  • Đừng bẻ cong những trang sách. (Don't bend the pages of the book.)

Synonyms

• Break: to separate into pieces.
• Snap: to break suddenly with a sharp sound.
• Pluck: to pick or pull off.
• Refute: to prove a statement or theory is wrong.
• Object: to express disapproval or opposition.

Related Idioms

• "Con gái mười bảy bẻ gãy sừng trâu": A proverb meaning "A seventeen-year-old girl can break a buffalo's horns," used to describe the formidable willpower or strength of a young woman.
• "Bẻ đũa cả nắm": Literally "to break a whole handful of chopsticks," meaning it is difficult to break many things at once; often used to suggest that unity provides strength.

verb

1. To break
   • bẻ ra làm đôi
     to break into half
2. To fold
   • bẻ cổ áo
     to fold down a collar
3. To pinion
   • bẻ quặt hai tay ra đằng sau
     to pinion someone's arms
4. To refute
   • lý lẽ không bẻ được
     an argument impossible to refute
   • bẻ hành bẻ tỏi
     to raise all kinds of objection